Now, by 'the word' here the Apostle obviously means, since he speaks
about it as that which these Asiatic Christians 'heard from the
beginning,' the initial truth which was presented for their acceptance
in the story of the life and death of Jesus Christ. That was 'the word'
and, says he, just because it was a history it is a commandment; just
because it was the Revelation of God it is a law. God never tells us
anything merely that we may be wise. The purpose of all divine speech,
whether in His great works in nature, or in the voices of our own
consciences, or in the syllables that we have to piece together from out
of the complicated noises of the world's history, or in this book, or in
the Incarnate Word, where all the wandering syllables are gathered
together into one word--the purpose of all that God says to men is
primarily that they may know, but in order that, knowing, they may do;
and still more that they may be. And so, inasmuch as every piece of
religious knowledge has in it the capacity of directing conduct, all
God's word is a commandment.
And, if that is true in regard to other revelations and manifestations
that he has made of Himself, it is especially true in regard to the
summing-up of all in the Incarnate Word, and in His words, and in the
words that tell us of His life and of His death. So whatever truths
there may be, and there are many, which, of course, have only the
remotest, if any, bearing upon life and conduct, every bit of Christian
truth has a direct grip upon a man's life, and brings with it a
stringent obligation.
Now, the Revelation of God in Jesus Christ, 'the Word which ye heard
from the beginning,' which, I suppose, would roughly correspond with
what is told us in our four Gospels; the word which these Asiatic
Christians heard at first, the good news that was brought to them in the
midst of their gropings and peradventures, commanded, in the first
place, absolute trust, the submission of the will as well as the assent
of the understanding. But also it commanded imitation, for Jesus Christ
was revealed to them, as He is revealed to us, as being the Incarnate
realisation of the ideal of humanity; and what He is, the knowledge that
He is that, binds us to try to be in our turn.
And more than that, brethren, the Cross of Christ is a commandment. For
we miserably mutilate it, and sinfully as well as foolishly limit its
application and its power, if we recognise it only--I was going to say
mainly--as being the ground of our hope and of what we call our
salvation, and do not recognise it as being the obligatory example of
our lives, which we are bound to translate into our daily practice.
Jesus Christ Himself has told us that in many a fashion, never more
touchingly and wondrously than when in response to the request of a
handful of Greeks to see Him, He answered with the word which not only
declared what was obligatory upon Him, but what was obligatory upon us
all, and for the want of which all the great endowments of the Greek
mind at last rotted down into sensuousness, when He said, 'Except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die
it bringeth forth much fruit' and then went on to say, 'he that loveth
his life shall lose it.'
So, then, brethren, 'the word which ye heard at the beginning,' the
story of Christ, His life and His death, is a stringent commandment.
Now, this is one of the blessings of Christianity, that all which was
hard and hopeless, ministering to despair sometimes, as well as stirring
to fierce effort at others, in the conception of law or duty as it
stands outside us, is changed into the tender word, 'if ye love Me, keep
My commandments.' If any man serve Me, let him ... 'follow Me.' It is a
law; it is 'the law of liberty.' So you have not done all that is
needful when you have accepted the teaching of Christ in the Scriptures
and the teaching of the Scriptures concerning Christ. Nor have you done
all that is needful when clasping Him, and clinging simply to His Cross,
you recognise in it the means and the pledge of your acceptance with
God, and the ground and anchor of all your hope. There is something more
to be done. The Gospel is a commandment, and commandments require not
only assent, not only trust, but practical obedience. The 'old
commandment' is the 'word which ye heard from the beginning.'